We Are Quiet As A Mouse

Have I mentioned how much my class likes to talk? Like talk talk talk talk talk until the cows come home. There is not much of an impression I can make on these Little Darlin's and yelling does no good at all. I actually told one of them today that my horse listens better than he does. Sad but true. Can't wait for the email from his Mom.

Of course the books will tell you to focus on positive behaviors and the other problems will magically disappear. With this in mind I created these little table signs. I ripped this off from a veteran teacher, she actually taught Kindergarten for FORTY YEARS yes you read that right. She had these adorable signs and I copied them shamelessly. I found the little mouse picture on Google Images and added the text, just glue sticked the whole shebang onto a tripod of pink paper. The pink paper is essential in the adorableness factor here, along with the yarn tail of each mouse (there is one on both sides). Of course your sweet little students will pull the darn thing off and you will have to replace it endlessly so be ready with extras.

I drop this little sign on the table that is being the most quiet. Sometimes it actually works. Anyway it does look adorable.

What To Do With Your Valentines

Teachers have a special talent for making a book out of just about anything. Here is my collection of Valentine Books. I got this idea at the California Kindergarten Conference about ten thousand years ago and have enjoyed making books out of my Valentines ever since.

Nothing is easier to make and the children adore them. Just glue the selection on some construction paper and add stickers or other embellishments if desired. Or not. Laminate. Punch holes and tie the pages together or just staple them.

If you already threw your collection for this year out, I will pause while you grab a Kleenex.

The past couple of years I have been so lazy resourceful that I just slipped the pages into some plastic sleeves and used metal rings to put them together. Do it. I promise you will love having your own collection!

Shape Books

We just finished our unit on shapes. (Don't judge.) My favorite part of this unit is stamping the solid shapes to see what shapes appear. It's like magic and really the best way to learn this concept. I just let them paint flat side of some wooden shapes and stamp away. Don't let them dip, it doesn't work as well.

A gripe: We do Harcourt Math and my biggest complaint about the newest version of the series is a switch in the language. For instance instead of SHAPES we are supposed to teach the word FIGURES. GO FIGURE. This is ridiculous and I secretly refuse to do it teach both terms. Another ridiculous one is saying FEWER instead of LESS THAN. What? What???? Who says this? FEWER is not a useful word unless you are looking for something to rhyme with... oh never mind.

Anyway, we stamp our shapes on cardstock and this becomes a book cover. Usually I make a number book with this cover but this year I decided to make a Shape Book instead. On each page there is the word of the shape and an example to color. Then they cut out examples of the shape from magazines and practice pasting things on the page without a) covering the word and b) letting anything hang off the page. Results will vary.

Our books had triangle, rectangle, circle and square pages but of course you could add more. And if I only had a brain I probably would have made it the Solid Shape Book and they could've found spheres, cubes, cones and cylinders.

But I will NEVER call it a Figure Book. Ain't gonna happen.

Come On Feel The Noise

This Noise O Meter is not even a little bit original.... it's been flying around the blogosphere for ages, but I thought you might like to see my version. The arrow is taped to a clothespin. The first thing my class wanted to know is how that arrow was able to move up and down and stay on the chart. They are so funny.

When I use this I ask the class to show me with their fingers what number the Noise O Meter is on. Then I ask them what that means. The pictures I used are just random Google Images. Nothing special but the pictures give the right impact.

One of my favorite times I like to use the Noise O Meter is transitioning from recess to indoors. I take it outside and show them the arrow on 4. Then they watch me move it up to 2 or 1. It gives them a clear sense of my expectations. For about a minute.

Question: How much noise do you tolerate in your classroom? Is it whisper quiet all the time? Or do you mind a little on - task, active learning noise? Don't mind the roar? I admit I am pretty tolerant of more noise than most teachers. It is at Big Boss's request that I ask for less developmentally appropriate volume rowdy banter most of the time. Asking Kinders to be hush hush all the live long day would wear me plumb out.

Managing Just Fine

Miss T is having a managament linky party so I thought I'd play along.

Here is the good ole "chart" that I use every. single. day. in my classroom. I find this to be a simple and straightforward approach that the lil darlin's can understand easily. At the beginning of the year we discuss the stoplight concept; what each color means, and how to apply that to their own behavior. If you are on green you are GOING, learning, and where you are supposed to be on the road. If you are on yellow, SLOW DOWN, you might get in a behavioral wreck. If you land on red, STOP, and head on over here:

At the beginning of the year I did not have this special little chair. My principal asked me to create it. I really could use several of these. However, I have mixed feelings about it. Unless I take the time to really review WHY the child has been sent there (after a significant period of time sitting in it) it is pretty meaningless. I also have a handful of kids for which ANY attention is great and they are actually HAPPY about sitting there. As in, when I ask them to leave, they say "Yay!" Effective? Probably not. That in combination with the fact that it is not nailed to the floor and so the perpetrator is apt to slide it around, fall off it or other similar antics depending on their personality. Yeah, you know the type.

Do you have a "Thinking Chair"? Do you think it works?